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peccant: msg#00010

culture.language.word-of-the-day

Subject: peccant

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The Word of the Day for July 11 is:

peccant \PEK-unt\ adjective
*1 : guilty of a moral offense : sinning
2 : violating a principle or rule : faulty

Example sentence:
The minister delivered a stern sermon warning peccant
parishioners of the punishments that awaited them in the
afterlife.

Did you know?
"Peccant" comes from the Latin verb "peccare," which
means "to sin," "to commit a fault," or "to stumble," and is
related to the better-known English word "peccadillo" ("a slight
offense"). Etymologists have suggested that "peccare" might be
related to the Latin "ped-, pes," meaning "foot." A related
Latin adjective, "peccus," may have been used to mean "having an
injured foot" or "stumbling." Whether or not a connection truly
exists between "peccant" and "peccus," "peccant" itself involves
stumbling of a figurative kind -- making errors, for example, or
falling into immoral, corrupt, or sinful behavior.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.





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